Best way to pay on board account

[jml783107]

Is is best to let Celebrity convert cruise account from USD to GBP (and charge their conversion rates) or should I pay in Dollars and let my bank convert into GBP and charge a conversion fee (not sure which way round is the cheapest)

[cruisestitch]

In general you are better off having the bank do the conversion, as the rate onboard is usually not very good.

[mcrcruiser]

Is is best to let Celebrity convert cruise account from USD to GBP (and charge their conversion rates) or should I pay in Dollars and let my bank convert into GBP and charge a conversion fee (not sure which way round is the cheapest)

 

Here in the US we have credit cards wjhich do not charge a exchange rate.You might want to see if you can get one of those CCs & then pay your charges with that CC .:rolleyes:

 

The one I use is Capitol One in europe to charge & we don't get charged any exchange rates going from the euro or GBP to the US dollar & visa versa;):)

[ghstudio]

Is is best to let Celebrity convert cruise account from USD to GBP (and charge their conversion rates) or should I pay in Dollars and let my bank convert into GBP and charge a conversion fee (not sure which way round is the cheapest)

 

Don't let anyone convert your charges for you....that includes celebrity, stores and anyone else at a stop that quotes you in dollars and charges you in dollars. Always negotiate in the native currency....let your bank or credit card company do your conversion.

 

Note: some credit card companies charge you based on where you made the charge....and they charge their 3% fee irrespective of the currency on the charge slip. So having a store in Turkey convert to UKP, you might find that you are still paying the "conversion fee" even though the bill is in UKP.

[Tinkerbellcgy]

Here's a new and novel idea: settle your onboard account by paying cash on the last full day of the cruise. It means that one needs to be diligent in keeping their onboard spending within their budgeted allotment but it is well worth it rather than getting a mega surprise on the morning of embarkation or, better yet, when you get home and your credit card statement arrives in the mail and the vacation is a mere memory and there aren't sufficient funds to pay for those memories.

[cruisestitch]

Wise advice about monitoring one's spending, but not always practical to settle the account in cash. For someone coming from a non-US location, there would be conversion fees to get dollars with which to settle the account. And providing Euros or GBP, the ship's conversion rates are not very favorable and it would end up costing a premium. The best way, as stated above, for those not from the US, is to have your bank do the conversion, rather than the ship.

[Tinkerbellcgy]

Wise advice about monitoring one's spending, but not always practical to settle the account in cash. For someone coming from a non-US location, there would be conversion fees to get dollars with which to settle the account. And providing Euros or GBP, the ship's conversion rates are not very favorable and it would end up costing a premium. The best way, as stated above, for those not from the US, is to have your bank do the conversion, rather than the ship.

I am a Canadian living in Canada. I convert my Canadian dollars into US dollars before I leave home. US traveller cheques bought with non-US funds at your home bank are considered the same as cash. The conversion to US funds is done at the time of purchase and there's no guesswork about what the exchange rate will be - it's stated and paid when you purchase the US funds.

 

What's not practicable about this when settling my account in cash with money converted at my bank before I even embark on the cruise? There's no need to make a simple solution more complicated than is necessary or to stress about something that has an easy fix.

[cruisestitch]

You are lucky you are able to buy US dollar traveler checks -- they are getting harder and harder to find even inside the US! It does make it possible to know what the rate is before you begin spending the money, for sure. But for those who can't get TC's, the advice to use a credit card and have them do the conversion, rather than having the ship do the conversion, stands.

[MartinsCruise]

Easy....Capital One...no fees and we get the miles. We've never been charged any conversion fees on purchases in the Islands. We only take enough cash for the casino and very minor purchases.

[Gracie115]

Or you can get very lucky as we did on our last cruise ..... had a LOT of on board credit due to price reductions and points from the now defunct Celebrity Visa......wound up getting nearly $300 in CREDIT put back on our card beacue we didn't use it all...no exchange fees, no nothing...

 

Actually, that may be something to consider if you want to avoid heavy exchange fees. You can buy OBC ahead of time, either in cash or on credit card, no fees charged....and pay most, if not all your bill that way... Yes, X gets use of your money for a month or two but considering the lousy interest rates everywhere today that's not really the issue... I must say it was wonderful not having any balance due at the end of our 12 days...quite unlike every other cruise we've had!!:D

[cruisestitch]

I don't believe that Capital One is available to the OP.

 

The option to pre-purchase OBC is, however, available even to non US customers and may have some appeal.

[Project_gal]

Is is best to let Celebrity convert cruise account from USD to GBP (and charge their conversion rates) or should I pay in Dollars and let my bank convert into GBP and charge a conversion fee (not sure which way round is the cheapest)

 

As others have said, it is usually better to let your bank do the conversion BUT you should check the small print from both Celebrity and your bank to see what each charges. Your bank is most likely to be the better option.

 

However, I always point out that this only applies to the fee each charges. You will not, and cannot, know in advance what exchange rate each will use on the day of conversion. Celebrity and your bank will set their exchange rate in a different way and at a different time AND the conversions would be made on different days. With the current volitility in exchange rates, it is a lottery which will be the better rate.

 

If you would like more certainty in the real cost of your on board spend, you can pre-purchase on board credit from Celebrity. Their rate has been extremely good for most of this year. Much higher than you would get as tourist rate and even on your credit card. I have just checked and the rate is currently US$1.5528/£1 which is higher than the tourist rate but less than the commercial rate quoted by the BBC this morning [uS$1.5736]. It is still a much better rate than you would get on your credit card when you take the fee into account. As the exchange rate has been falling steadily since Monday with no sign of the crisis in the Euro zone being resolved, buying OBC now could be a good move but your guess is as good as anybodies!

 

Sue

[Sekhmet]

Is is best to let Celebrity convert cruise account from USD to GBP (and charge their conversion rates) or should I pay in Dollars and let my bank convert into GBP and charge a conversion fee (not sure which way round is the cheapest)

 

If you do go down the route of letting your bank do the conversion (as we do), you should indicate this preference on your checking-in documentation, confirm it when you hand over your credit card to be registered and, at some point during your cruise, drop in on the Purser/Cashier's desk and check that they have recorded your instructions correctly.

[Freecall]

If you do go down the route of letting your bank do the conversion (as we do), you should indicate this preference on your checking-in documentation, confirm it when you hand over your credit card to be registered and, at some point during your cruise, drop in on the Purser/Cashier's desk and check that they have recorded your instructions correctly.

 

I agree with this, we have had ours changed after we checked in - on two occasions.

[Chicago Boy]

Is is best to let Celebrity convert cruise account from USD to GBP (and charge their conversion rates) or should I pay in Dollars and let my bank convert into GBP and charge a conversion fee (not sure which way round is the cheapest)

 

 

When we going through the boarding process we give Celebrity a credit card and all ship board charges go on it, then we do not have to worry about settling up the last day of the cruise. Since we do not carry a balances on credit cards it is affordable and convenient. The last thing is, we only have the bank do the currency conversion. We get the best rate that way. Enjoy your cruise! We say in two weeks and we are so excited. :)

[nijh]

Easy answer - never let anyone convert for you, cruise line, shop, hotel - anyone.

 

This is the procedure I follow onboard, it saves me £££ and gives piece of mind. A lot of people request that conversion does not take place only to find it has when the CC bill comes through.

 

1. Get a credit card that doesn't charge a fee for conversion and one that offers a good rate of exchange. Halifax had one of the best last time I checked, Nationwide Gold was previously, although Nationwide do charge a small fee for the US now. Check on Money Saving Expert for the latest 'best deals' on UK credit cards used overseas.

 

2. On your boarding documents make sure you tick the box that says you DO NOT want Celebrity to convert into GBP.

 

3. The day before disembarking get a copy of your onboard account, check through it and then pay it - making sure it goes through in USD.

 

4. You will then be left with any charges from the remainder of the last day that will go through automatically. As you have just paid in USD it reaffirms your boarding card request so the rest of the account should go through in USD, but it for some reason it doesn't then it should only be a few $ that get converted.

[jimzgoldfinch]

Is is best to let Celebrity convert cruise account from USD to GBP (and charge their conversion rates) or should I pay in Dollars and let my bank convert into GBP and charge a conversion fee (not sure which way round is the cheapest)

 

Hi,

Pay in $ and let your Credit Card company do the conversion. However, most have between 2.5 & 2.99% conversion fee.

 

I suggest that you get a credit card that does not include currency conversion charges - see money supermarket site for card comparisons.

 

Jim

[BMT]

We cruise a lot - we are from London - and ALWAYS pay cash!!

 

Saves hassle if unauthorised charges show up on your credit card:eek::eek:

 

You will get about $300 credit on board - after that you settle your account and start again. We change sterling to dollars at Thomas Cook at a reasonable rate.

[Gracie115]

I don't know...the more I think about it the more buying OBC ahead of time is the answer....no fees at all...and credit back to card if not used.....

[Esprit]

This really works for me but there is a catch!

 

For our last two Celebrity cruises in the Med' I've paid off my account on the last night in US $ bills.

 

My daughter saves up her dollars and then gives to me what I need to settle the account.

 

Now here's the catch.......... She's a member of the ship's crew

[nijh]

I suppose it also depends on how big you expect the account to get.

 

We've had cruises with only $200 or so to pay, but also ones with very expensive ship excursions which have left us with $3000+ on the account.

 

I may look to pay cash for low amounts, but pale at the thought of taking thousands of $$ in cash on holiday to settle an account.

 

Having said that I actually get a better rate of exchange on my credit card than I do changing money before I leave.

[Project_gal]

Having said that I actually get a better rate of exchange on my credit card than I do changing money before I leave.

 

Yes, but that does not help if the exchange rate is poor when you actually travel. On our next cruise we are travelling with cash we bought at a much better rate than currently available anywhere. We also have a large OBC purchased when Celebrity was offering an even better rate.

 

With forward planning, buying cash or OBC when the rate of exchange is good can save a great deal of money. Add to that, Celebrity often offers OBC at a better rate of exchange than you can get buying cash or on your credit card and it is NOT treated as a cash transaction on your card. These difference can make the difference between the fees charged by Celebrity and your card insignificant.

Sue

[sandancer]

If you do go down the route of letting your bank do the conversion (as we do), you should indicate this preference on your checking-in documentation, confirm it when you hand over your credit card to be registered and, at some point during your cruise, drop in on the Purser/Cashier's desk and check that they have recorded your instructions correctly.

And check, check, check and check again that they know you do not want the cruise line to do the conversation. On one cruise we ticked the box, told them at the pier check in, confirmed it with the Guest Relations and STILL they did the conversion. It was for a small amount as we had paid the bulk of the account in cash, as we usually do. If it had been for several 100 $s we would have disputed it with RCI but we just let it go. Very vigilant now though.

[sandancer]

As others have said, it is usually better to let your bank do the conversion BUT you should check the small print from both Celebrity and your bank to see what each charges. Your bank is most likely to be the better option.

 

However, I always point out that this only applies to the fee each charges. You will not, and cannot, know in advance what exchange rate each will use on the day of conversion. Celebrity and your bank will set their exchange rate in a different way and at a different time AND the conversions would be made on different days. With the current volitility in exchange rates, it is a lottery which will be the better rate.

 

If you would like more certainty in the real cost of your on board spend, you can pre-purchase on board credit from Celebrity. Their rate has been extremely good for most of this year. Much higher than you would get as tourist rate and even on your credit card. I have just checked and the rate is currently US$1.5528/£1 which is higher than the tourist rate but less than the commercial rate quoted by the BBC this morning [uS$1.5736]. It is still a much better rate than you would get on your credit card when you take the fee into account. As the exchange rate has been falling steadily since Monday with no sign of the crisis in the Euro zone being resolved, buying OBC now could be a good move but your guess is as good as anybodies!

 

Sue

Sue, any idea how to work out the OBC units. Each one is £16.10 but the website does not say how many US $ you get for that. Strangely, the Casino credit costs £16.60 for $25 + 3% commission. Can't quite this out unless the OBC is less than $25 per unit. Hope you can help. Thanks, Elaine

[Project_gal]

Sue, any idea how to work out the OBC units. Each one is £16.10 but the website does not say how many US $ you get for that. Strangely, the Casino credit costs £16.60 for $25 + 3% commission. Can't quite this out unless the OBC is less than $25 per unit. Hope you can help. Thanks, Elaine

 

Elaine

 

Yes, they are all in US$25 units. The website really should say but never has! I only know because we bought OBC first over the 'phone before you could buy them online.

 

Sue